Three Times
by Real.Smile
Summary: Three times James Sirius Potter hates, loves, and kisses a Miss. Devyn Miller.
1. Hate

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Alright, wish me luck ladies and gentlemen. This is the first competition that I have participated in since I joined the site, like forever ago. This fic here is for: **The Potter Project Competition**, hosted by spuffypotter1997. So for the first round, the participants had to write a non-slash romance fic. Mine is going to be three chapters long. So enjoy.

**DICLAIMER: **I don't own Harry Potter.

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><p><strong>I.<strong>

James Sirius Potter glared at the blond in front of him. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his feet were propped up on the desk before him. His hazel eyes were pinned to the girl in front of him. She was the reason that he was here. He was here because she couldn't keep her big mouth shut. Angrily, he took his feet off the desk and kicked the back of her chair. She shook a little at the impact but didn't turn. Again, his foot collided with the back of her chair, and again, and again. He was going to continue until he got a rise out of her, or until he was satisfied, whichever came first.

The previous did, "What, Potter?" she growled not turning to him. He noticed that her hand hadn't stopped moving. He didn't answer, just kicked the back of her chair. The blond slammed her quill on the desk, earning an angry look from the Professor, and she played it off as she was killing a fly, or some other small insect, on her desk. When the Professor turned back to his work, she turned her amber eyes to him. "What, Potter?" she repeated.

"You are the reason, I'm here, you… you…. you daft girl," James stammered. He hadn't actually thought she was going to turn around and talk to him. He hadn't had a conversation planned out. The blonde looked at him for a moment, her amber eyes amused. Then she laughed. "You're laughing?" he sputtered.

"I'm not the reason you're here. You cheated on a paper, I watched you take Anna's paper from her. You didn't even bother to re-write it in words that you actually know, Potter. He," she gestured towards the Professor, "would have figured it out soon enough. I just helped the process along."

"You prat," he scoffed at her. "I knew most of the words on that paper, Miller." The blond smiled at him and turned in her seat. James kicked the back of her chair again and he heard her sigh. However, she didn't turn around. Again, his foot assaulted the back of her chair. Slowly, she turned to face him. "I wasn't done talking to you." The girl waved her hand, a gesture that meant continue. "Why are you here?"

The Miller sighed again, placing her quill, not on the table, but behind her ear. "Potter, I'm here because I am," she brought her hands up and began to air quote, "'compulsively tardy to class'. It's only the third month of the term, I can't be compulsively tardy yet." She then took her quill from behind her ear. "You aren't here because I told on you; you're here, because detention is boring without someone else here." With that she turned from him and started back on whatever she was writing. When she turned James was sure that he saw a smile on her lips.

"I hate you," he hissed as he propped his feet back on the desk, of course, not before giving her chair another kick.

* * *

><p><strong>II.<strong>

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" the announcer shouted into the microphone.

The Gryffindor House erupted with cheers and applause. The seven players clad in scarlet and gold landed on the Pitch, and were greeted by their classmates. The players high-fived their friends, hugged their significant other, and made promises to their friends to see them later. Whispers about a party darted around the members of Gryffindor. If one watched long enough, one would see students stealing away from the mob of people and heading towards Hogsmeade.

Finally, the seven exhausted players made it to the locker room. One by one, they filled in. The Keeper was first, followed by the two Beaters, then two of the three chasers, followed by Captain and seeker, James Potter. He looked about the locker room at his team with a large grin on his face. They'd played better than the Harpies at the World Cup, the previous year.

"Where's Miller?" he asked. He'd seen her go down a few times during the game. Slytherin house night not have been as prejudice as it had been, however, they their team still played just as dirty. Neither of the chasers had seen her since they landed. In the back of his mind, he knew that he should go and see if she was okay. However, she was a big girl. She could handle herself. "Well, I'm proud of you guys, you played amazingly. Next game's against Ravenclaw. Practice Monday evening is canceled, I think we deserve a break after that game, yeah? See you Wednesday night. You are dismissed. Mclaggen, go to the Hospital Wing and get checked out, will ya'?" he called after the Keeper.

James undressed from his uniform and then redressed in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. He grabbed his bag and then left the locker room. As soon as he exited the room, he saw something lying on the pitch. He walked slowly towards it and then realized that it was a person. A person was blond hair and a quidditch uniform. _Miller, _he thought. He dropped his bag on the ground and ran towards her. The closer he got the more panicked his felt. He then sank to his knees and touched her shoulder gently. "Miller," he said. "Miller, are you alright?" Her amber eyes were closed, not a comforting observation. "Miller!"

Her amber eyes fluttered open and she turned them to James. "What?" her voice was hoarse.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to get someone, or something?" he asked.

The girl sat up and ran her fingers through the loose part of her ponytail. "Yeah, get yourself a chill pill, I'm fine." She rolled her amber eyes and stood. "I'm just tired. I was knocked off my broom a total of five times, four of which I actually hit the ground." She looked confused for a moment. "Well, I suppose that I should thank you for catching me that last time," she admitted. "So thanks."

"You're welcome," James said a smirk on his lips. He looked at her carefully. He noted that she wasn't putting an equal amount of weight on both feet, and a trickle of red slipped through her fingers and on to the ground. "I sent Mclaggen up to the Hospital Wing; you should go up there too. You look kind of banged up."

"Are you worried about me, James Sirius Potter," the blond asked. She attempted to put her hands on her hips and cock her hip out to the side. However, it ended with her stumbling into James' chest. He laughed at her. "Shut it," she snapped as she pushed away from him, her hand left a faint blood print on his shirt. "Sorry 'bout that," she said gesturing to it. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"No, I wasn't. I hate you, remember? I was worried about the team's Center Chaser," he told her. Miller started off towards the castle, a limp in her step. James sighed; his mother had raised him to help those in need. "You want me to help you?" In response, the Miller pulled her wand out and flicked it once. Suddenly, the ground around James was on fire. He immediately reached into this pocket and then mentally slapped himself. He'd left his wand in his bag. "Devyn Miller, I hate you."

"I know," she shouted back.

* * *

><p><strong>III.<strong>

He looked at her and it was like someone had punched him in the chest. He looked at him and it was like someone had pushed him off his broom. He looked at them, together, and he felt like he'd been hit with a thousand Cruciatus and Killing Curses all at once, and he didn't die. He only felt the thousand and one billion needles in his skin. He glared down the table at them as they laughed and held hands. He buttered her toast and she blushed, taking it gently. Her amber eyes danced, well at least on the surface they did. He knew her. He knew she was in as much pain as he was. He knew that she was breaking. He was breaking, and James Sirius Potter never broke.

"James, stop glaring you're making it snow," a red haired third year told him. James looked up and saw that he was indeed making it snow over him and the rest of his red-haired family. James lowered his eyes to the table and sighed. "James, she'll come back."

"Nope, don't want her, I hate her," James said. "I despise her, Rose."

"Um, no you don't," his cousin told him from beside him. "She's not happy with him. You can see it in her eyes."

"James did say some mean things to her though," Lily added, chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Like?" he asked.

"You called her a know-it-all freak," Lily reminded.

"That was after she said that my ego fed off the fame of my father," James interrupted.

There was a soft sound from behind him and he looked up to see what it was. It was Miller. She was standing near him; something that she hadn't done since their argument. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips and her pink lips were pursed. "Hello," she said quietly. "I see that you are talking about me."

"That's right, because I despise you, Miller," James snarled, turned away from her. He didn't spot the hurt in her eyes. "What do you need?" However, by that time she was gone. He looked back and just spotted her blond hair leaving the Great Hall. James shrugged and turned back to Rose, who kicked him under the table. "What?"

"That was so uncalled for," Lily answered for her cousin. "She was going to apologize to you."

"Whatever, she was coming to rub the fact that she was with someone else in my face," James assured.

"Dev isn't that kind of person," Rose replied as she closed her book. "You should hate yourself more than you hate her." Lily agreed with a silent nod.

"Nope, now I hate her, because she's turned you two against me," James stated as he tossed the crust of the toast on to the plate before him. He stood as shouldered his bag. "To class," he announced as he walked with his two red haired family members.


	2. Love

**A/N: **Not much to say but this entry is really long almost 4,000 words without the not and disclaimer. So enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Harry Potter. BOO! haha

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><p><strong>I.<strong>

She was talking to him; just talking. She wasn't telling him what color her knickers were, although he wouldn't ignore the knowledge if given to him. She wasn't confessing her love for him. She wasn't calling his ego the size of China. No, she was just talking. Talking about her day, her life, how she was nervous about the upcoming quidditch match against Slytherin. She was just talking. However, the surprising this wasn't that she was talking to him. She'd always been able to hold a conversation with him. The surprising part was that he was actually listening. He wasn't playing with a quill, or fidgeting. He was actually listening to her, absorbing the words that she said.

The two Gryffindor students sat in front of the Black Lake, cross legged, during their free period. They had been spending a fair amount of time together since the start of their fifth year. She said something about James maturing over the summer break. He wasn't as annoying and he was more human. Of course, there was another side to that. James said it was because he realized that is ego really was the size of China and vowed to shrink it, at least to the size of Japan. He'd also mentioned something about knowing that she was right about everything she'd ever said. This surprisingly, enough, didn't go to her head, she'd just said: "I'm not right about everything, just most things."

"Hey, you've got a distant look in your eyes there, James," she commented. "You still with me?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I was just thinking," he replied a small smile on his lips. "Anyway, don't be nervous about the game. They won't beat you up to badly, right?"

The blond scoffed and hit him with the back of her hand. "I don't want to be beat up at all."

"Boy, did you pick the wrong sport."

Devyn choose to ignore that comment. She loved quidditch. So if that meant that she had to get beat up once a month, then so be it. A little blood loss never hurt anyone, right? She folded her hands and then turned her amber eyes up to his hazel ones. "Hey, this is me reminding you to do your paper for transfiguration." James sighed and fell back on to the grass. "What?"

"I didn't really want to remember. I was just going to-"

"Copy me," the blond interrupted.

"No," he scoffed. "Just ask if I could 'paraphrase' your beginning, middle, and end." The blond scoffed and rolled her amber eyes. "Come on," he begged folding his hands together and pouting.

Devyn sighed and shook her head. "Fine, fine, just the introduction and maybe the middle," she shrugged and stretched. "I have to go to class now," she stated.

Something in him broke; just like it always did when she had to leave. He couldn't help but be sad that she was leaving. He always had such a good time with her, now that she stopped calling him a prat. His smile faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "Oh, alright," he said as he leaned back against the tree. He reached over and picked her bag up with one hand.

Devyn took the back from him and sighed. "You don't have to be a show-off, James," she said. "Just because I can't pick up my own bag with one hand doesn't mean that you should. You'll pull a muscle in your arm or something."

James snorted and turned his hazel eyes to her. She was looking over her shoulder, her amber eyes were curious. James felt his heart beat a little bit fast as she tilted her head to the side. His heart rate sped up a little more. He hadn't realized it until then. Well maybe he hand and he was just too young to notice. She made him feel different than any other girl. She was kind of special. He noted that her pink lips were moving.

"James, James, are you okay?" the blond asked, her face a light pink. He nodded. "Did you hear me?" she asked a smirk on her lips. The eldest Potter shook his head. "Will you walk with me to class?"

"Yeah," the dark haired boy replied as he hopped off the ground and grabbed his bag. "Where to milady?" he asked as he held his arm out to her.

"Uh, Potions," she replied. "I have to help the Professor with her first years. They are making their first complex potion today."

"And she asked you?" the Seeker joked. He received a firm kick to the shin.

"Just walk," she told him as her wrapped her arm through his.

And James' heart rate went up ten million beats when she did.

* * *

><p><strong>II.<strong>

He was pacing. Back and forth, back and forth. His eyes fell on the analog clock on the wall. Four o'clock, it read. He then continued to pace. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and the paced about the large Gryffindor common room again. He then shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. He closed his hazel eyes and continued. Not a great idea seeing as he stumbled over the leg of a chair. A string of curses crossed his lips as he hopped on one foot. He then stumbled on to the sofa still holding his foot.

There were footsteps from outside of the portrait hole. He turned his hazel eyes to the hole and waited. In walked a tired looking blond, her amber eyes trained to the ground and her bag tossed loosely over her shoulder. As soon as she entered the common room, she dropped her bag on the ground and gave a long sigh. She then collapsed into the nearest chair and curled out in a ball with her arms on the arm of the chair.

"Hey," he called to her quietly. Her amber eyes flicked up to his hazel ones. "Are you okay?" She didn't respond. "Come here," he demanded. The blond pushed herself up off the chair and walked to the sofa, where she collapsed. She curled up against his side and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He felt his heart rate speed up, and he hoped that she didn't feel it. "What happened?"

"Slytherins don't like it when you give them detention," she mumbled into his neck. "So they pushed me and shoved my stuff on the floor and kicked it. Girls are mean," she finished dramatically. She moved her head so that her eyes were facing the dying fire. "What are you doing up?" she questioned next.

"Thinking," he replied. His fingers ran through her light hair and he smirked when she didn't respond. "You don't have anything smart to say?" he questioned. She shook her head and sighed. "There's something else," he told her.

Devyn turned her face so that it was buried in the crock of his neck again. "They call me ugly," she mumbled.

"And?" he asked.

"And," her head whipped her and her amber eyes burned into his hazel ones. "They called me ugly. What more is there to say?"

James snorted and stood quickly dragging her with him. It took a moment before she could balance herself, and then he dragged her to a mirror in the common room. James pointed his wand at the dying fire and pulled her body in front of his. Her muttered 'Lumos' and turned his eyes to her. He held her arms against her side at the forearm. "Look," he demanded. When he saw that her amber eyes weren't on the mirror, he sighed. "Look," he repeated, quietly. Her amber eyes flicked up to the glass. "Does that look ugly to you?" She didn't respond. "Devyn, does that look ugly to you? I mean, what do you see.?" She still didn't respond. "Well, I see a blond with stunning eyes, who's always there for whoever needs her, how is brilliant at Potions and Transfiguration and Ancient Ruins and everything else; someone who lets people get to her, someone that doesn't get it. I see someone that stunning and beautiful."

"You think that I'm beautiful?" she asked quietly. Her amber eyes met his hazel ones in the mirror.

His face flushed and his removed his hands from her forearms. He looked down and then back up. "Everyone does," he replied.

"But do you?" she tried again.

James rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "I do."

Devyn smiled and turned to him. Her amber eyes danced. James looked down at her. He saw her dancing amber eyes and her smile. He then knew that he'd made her night. He returned her smile and shoved her hands in the pockets of his pajama bottoms. His blood rushed through his veins and his skin grew hot. The feeling was uncomfortable, yes, but he liked it. He liked how she made him feel. She'd always made his blood boil, granted it was because she was so infuriating, but now, now it was a good boiling feeling. He bit his lip and smiled at her, his blood still rushing.

"Hey," she said after a moment, breaking the silence. "You never answered my question."

"Oh, I was waiting for you," he answered, his ears grew red, a Weasley trait no doubt. "Terri said that you were back in the room and I was waiting."

"Oh," was her simple reply. She smiled to herself and took a step away from him. "Well, goodnight."

James cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah, goodnight."

She slipped by him, brushing his hot forearm with her hand, leaving that area hotter than before. She made her way to the girl's dorm and turned back to James."Thanks," she said quietly, her hand on the knob. Before he could respond, she was in her dormitory with her door closed, leaving him alone in the common room with skin hotter than the fire.

* * *

><p><strong>III.<strong>

"Write me," she'd told him after he'd helped her get her belongings off the train. He'd nodded and wished her a Happy Summer. Then they'd parted ways, however, her statement lingered in his mind for weeks after he'd gotten home.

Currently, a fifteen year old James Potter sat at his desk starting at a blank piece of parchment. His hazel eyes were burning a hole in the poor parchment that he was staring. He couldn't figure out what to write to her. Hell, forget the writing, he couldn't figure out what the heading should be. Miller, was the way that he'd usually started the letter's he wrote to her. However, those weren't personal; they were just letters reminding her about practicing for Quidditch trials. Of course, once his other found out that he'd been addressing her that way, she demanded that he at least write hey or dear prior to her last name. So then it became, Hey Miller.

However, now he couldn't address her that way. She'd stopped calling him Potter and he'd stopped calling her Miller; now it was James and Devyn. He knew that he couldn't just write her name and then a letter; that would be rude, right? Well them, maybe Hey Devyn. That was too impersonal, right? He wanted to write her a personal letter; something that would make her heart race when she read it, kind of like she made his race whenever she was around him the previous year. However, he just couldn't.

He couldn't make himself do it. He couldn't make himself put the quill the parchment and write. He was afraid. James Sirius Potter was afraid that he would blurt his feelings for her out on a piece of parchment and that she would laugh and then tell him that she didn't feel that way about him. He was afraid of rejection. Of course, James Potter had been rejected before, many times before. But this time, this time was different. His feelings for Devyn Miller were real, as far as he was concerned. His feeling for her were stronger than anything that he'd ever felt for any other girl. Of course, he'd never tell her that.

James pushed away from the desk and stood, stretching. He then began to pace. He'd been doing a lot of that since he'd been home. He sighed and ran his fingers through his dark messy hair, before resuming his pacing. There was a quiet knock on the door, almost nonexistent. However, he knew who it was.

"Come in, Lily," he called to her through the door.

She poked her red hair into the door and turned her green eyes to him. "You're not still mad, are you?"

James stopped pacing and looked at his sister two years his minor and shook his head. "Huh?"

"I took you wand."

"Oh, Lils, no I'm not still mad, kid," he replied quietly. "It's not broken, so no harm done." He gave her a half-hearted smiled and started to pace again.

"Why are you pacing?" she asked quietly. James turned to her and sighed. He though that she'd left, instead, she was sitting crossed legged on his bed hugging one of his pillows.

"I'm confused," James admitted.

"About?"

"A girl."

"Oh, Devyn," Lily smiled. "She likes you, you know?"

"What do you know about liking people?" James asked playfully.

"Well, I am fourteen and I…"

James interrupted her with a series of noises and hand waves. "I don't want to know. Anyway, how do you know that?"

Lily hopped off his bed and walked to the door. "Can't tell, girl code," she sang as she exited the room.

The eldest Potter started to chase his sister down, however was distracted by a tapping at the window. James turned towards it and reached the latch in less than two second. He knew that owl, it was Devyn's. The brow and white owl landed gently dropped the letter on to James' desk before landing on the edge of the desk. The dark haired boy took the letter gently and opened it to reveal her swirling manuscript in purple ink.

_Jamesy,_

_I know that I asked you to write me, but an occasion seems to have, well, occurred, that has required me to write first. My father has tickets to the World Cup, he's-_

"Working," James said aloud before reading the word.

_-working and my mother... Well let's just say that she's not in the picture much anymore. They're getting a divorce. However, that's not why I wrote to you. I wrote to invite you to come with me. You know, I don't really enjoy WATCHING Quidditch, but I know that you do. I figured it would be a cool thing to do. However, I know that you always attend the match with you large family, so if you'd like to go with them then that's fine took. I don't' have to go; I don't want to go by myself. Your ticket is enclosed with the letter. _

_Patiently awaiting your answer,_

_Devyn_

_P.S. Did you like my formal letter? My father's the Advisor to the Minister of Magic now, and he's decided that I have to write properly. _

In his hand James held one box ticket to the2020 Quidditch World Cup. James frowned and took the quill from the ink and began his letter.

_Devs,_

_I'm sorry, but I already have plans to go with my large family, as you put it. However, I'm sure that they wouldn't mind having another person along. So you are welcome to join us. I've sent my ticket back. _

_Hopefully waiting,_

_James_

_P.S. I did actually. It was riveting having to pull out a dictionary every other word. Congratulations to him._

James rolled up the parchment and sent the ticket back to his friend. He then closed his eyes and lay his head down on the desk. He closed his eyes and sighed. His heart rate was a hundred beats a minute. He waited patiently for her reply. A reply that came rather expediently, he might add.

_James,_

_Ah, I'm Devs now, am I? Well, I would love to come with you family. It could be fun. Only if it's my treat though, we can have box seats. Tell your parents it's for your birthday, which rolled around about five minutes ago. I hope I'm the first to tell you: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES. I hope you day is wonderful and you're not too busy to write me back. _

_Lots of Birthday wishes from,_

_Devs_

_P.S. Well, I'm glad I could stimulate your brain a little. I'm sure he says thanks. I'm at home alone all the time now. It's really boring here._

James' hazel eyes fell on the clock behind him and sure enough it was his birthday. At 12:12, she was the first to wish him a happy birthday. He smiled and picked his quill up and responded to her shortly.

_Devs,_

_Come spend the rest of the summer with us and we'll all sit in your box seats. And thanks, for the birthday wish. _

_With an open invite,_

_James_

He sent the letter off and looked at the owls as it flew away. He felt his blood racing again. He then looked around his room, which was a mess. If she agreed, she'd be at his house in the morning. He closed his eyes and wished that he could do magic. The room would be clean in a heartbeat. Well maybe, three of them, considering how fast his heart was beating. He ran his fingers through his hair and then her owl was back.

_James,_

_I'll be there at three. _

_Devs_

He opened the cage that housed his owl and allowed her's to enter the cage. After a moment, her barn owl flew away and into the night. James shrugged and walked to the door. He opened it and trekked down to his father's study of sorts. After a tap on the door and permission to enter, he did.

"Dad, can a friend stay with us for the summer?" he asked immediately. The whole 'Daddy, I love you' only worked for Lily. He and Albus had to get straight to the point.

Harry Potter looked at his son and nodded. "A girl?"

"Devyn," he told him. "She offered to take us all, Al, Lily, Mum, you, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, and Hugo, to the World Cup. She's got box seats. For my birthday," the eldest Potter added.

"Why does she have to stay the summer?" James glared at his father. "She can stay, sure, don't get me wrong. I was just curious."

"Who are you letting stay here?" a woman's voice asked from the doorway. Both dark haired men turned to her and smiled. Ginny was holding a small cupcake with a candle on it. The red haired woman handed the cupcake to her son and kissed his head. "Happy birthday, love and who is staying?"

"Devyn," Harry replied swiping a finger of icing from his son's birthday cupcake.

"Why?"

James sighed. "Because her dad is the new Advisor to the Minister of Magic and he's never at home." He looked down and then out the window. "Her parents a getting divorced, she's all alone at her place."

Ginny and Harry both caught something in their son's eyes; some emotion that was rarely seen. He expressed it in a different way than most. He pulled his sister's hair and teased her about boy's to show it. He teased his brother about being in Slytherin and looking just like their father to show it. However, it was obvious now. He loved Devyn.

"She can stay," Ginny agreed.

"She'll be here around three," James added as he exited. "Night."

The Potter parents chorused a good night. Then they exchanged looks.

"He loves her," Ginny sang as she too left the room. "Come to bed," she called from the hall.

Harry turned the light in his study off and walked out of the room. He sympathized with his son. There was no feeling quite like the one he felt now. The excitement of young love was a feeling nothing could compare too.


	3. Kiss

**A/N: **Sorry that it took so long to get up. I kind of lost my love muse. But I think I got it back now. So yeah, this is the longest of the three, but I think it's the cutest. So enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Harry Potter -insert sad face here-

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><p><strong>I.<strong>

"I hate snow," James groaned from the Astronomy Tower. He turned his eyes to his partner, Devyn Miller as she looked the telescope. She was writing something on parchment in lavender ink without looking at the parchment. James cleared his throat and tried again, "I said-"

"I head you, James," Devyn replied, still not looking away from the stars in the sky and her hand was still moving. "So why don't you like snow?"

The two were in the Astronomy Tower, after curfew, getting an early start on a project that was assigned the day before. She was the reason that he as even in this class. She'd said that she wanted someone that she knew to take the class, so she wasn't alone. He remembered exactly how it occurred. They were sitting by the pool, well actually she was in the pool and he was sitting on the edge. She'd swum over to him and crossed her arms on the brick side of the pool and asked him. She was wearing a pink and brown bikini. So when she asked him, he wasn't exactly paying attention to the question at hand. However, when she asked him again later, fully clothed, he'd said yes, because he was absolutely in love with her. So he'd said yes, and that's why he was here with her.

"It's frozen rain, I hate rain too," James commented.

Devyn finally pulled her amber eye away from the telescope and opened her other one. She dropped her black feathered quill on the table and placed her hands on her hips. The blond cocked on hip to the sighed and her right eyebrow was lifted. "How can you say that?" she shouted. "You've never played in the snow?" she asked. James shook his head and glared at the falling white snow. Devyn grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the tower leaving her parchment and quill with ink behind.

"Where are we going, Devyn?" he asked struggling to keep up.

She was silent as she pulled him through the quiet halls. A ghost would appear every now and then but knew she was a Prefect and thought nothing of it. James struggled to get away from her, but her grip was tight from years of playing as a Chaser. Finally, she brought him to the doors in front of the school and pulled him out of the doors.

"THIS," she exclaimed and pointed to the vast whiteness, "is snow. YOU," she pointed to him, "will enjoy it!"

James watched her for a moment and snorted. "I will not," he said. He then started towards the castle. "I'll see you inside, when you are sane." He waved over his shoulder. Devyn groaned and tackled him into the snow. James tumbled face first into the cold slush and grunted. "Merlin, Devyn," he shouted after he was able to push her body off his back. "You are insane." In the bright moonlight, she could see his smile. She could hear his laugh. He reached down and balled some snow in his hand. "INSANE!" he shouted and launched the snow into her face. He jumped up and backed away from her as she made her own. "You'll never get me alive!"

Then he was off, running about in the snow, flailing his arms around. Devyn chased after him, her snowball in hand. Her fingers were freezing and her face was cold, but she was going to get him. James' lungs were frozen and he had to slow down from his sprint to a jog. That's when she caught up with him and hit him with the white ball of snow, right in the back of the head. He turned to her and raised her hands in surrender.

"You got me," he said. He took a quick look at her face and held his arms out to her. Devyn rushed into the warmth of his arms and sighed, her cold breath hit his neck. With his wand, he pointed to a patch of grass just barely visible and muttered, "Incendio." The fire lit rapidly and James pointed his and at it again to control it. "Better?" he asked into her blond hair. She shivered in response to his question and he sighed as he pulled her closer to the crackling fire. "Better now," he asked.

His heart raced under his chest again as she pressed her body closer to his. It had been like that since she came over to his house for the summer. Granted it had been like that since the beginning of their fifth year. However, the feeling had intensified when she'd appeared in his fire place that day, then seeing her every day. Everything was foggy whenever she was around. Every time he was with her it took everything in him to not blurt out his feelings for her. It took everything to not kiss her. His exposed forearms were on fire in the ten degree weather. Whenever she was around, his skin was always on fire.

"You're warm," she mumbled into his neck. She looked up at him and continued, "Really really warm."

"You're cold," he replied to her. Her usual pink lips were turning blue. "Really, really cold," he joked.

She laughed and he was still trying not to kiss her. Not to blurt everything out to her. But, he couldn't. Not when she was freezing her arse off to get him to like the snow. Not when she was just there, practically begging from him to kiss her. Everything was foggy. He closed his hazel eyes and then he leaned down and kissed her. The fire crackled beside them when he did, and then suddenly the sound was gone and it was just them. For a moment her blue lips were stiff with shock, but James took that as rejection. Heartbroken, James started to pull away, but then her lips moved against his. James' heartbeat sped up, if that was even possible, as he kissed her back. He was relieved that he hadn't been rejected. That would have only made him hate the snow more.

When the need for oxygen presented itself they broke apart. "I've been waiting for you to do that for two years," Devyn stated.

"Two years," James said.

"Yeah," she responded playfully.

"You know what?" James asked her. She hummed in response. "I like the snow now," he finished. "It'll remind me of our first kiss."

"You're a sap," Devyn groaned. "But it'll remind you of the first and second."

"Yeah?" the eldest Potter asked.

"Yeah," she responded, before rising up on her toes and then met his lips halfway.

* * *

><p><strong>II.<strong>

Her blond hair was down and messy. Her amber eyes were bloodshot. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her chin was resting on her knees and she exhaled softly. Before her sat a cup of steaming tea; it had been there for hours and she'd kept reheating it over and over again. Her amber eyes were watching the steam rise out of the cup and swirl about, before disappearing in the cold winter air. She'd neglected all of her duties as a Prefect, and at this point she didn't give a damn. Her life was spiraling out of control; the school could be in chaos for one night. She sighed, destroying the spiral of steam before her and another was produced from the cup.

"MILLER!" he shouted at her from the pathway. "What the hell are you doing out here? It's bloody freezing out here." He shed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Miller, you're going to freeze," he told her. "You're wearing short sleeves and pajama pants and it's like negative five degrees outside."

When she didn't speak, he knew that something was wrong. She would have said something by now, or at least turned her amber eyes towards him. However, her amber eyes stayed on the frozen lake in front of her. In her fist, there was a piece of parchment. He noted that her palm was bleeding a little from where her nails were digging into her flesh. He sighed and sat down in the snow next to him. He was clad in a sweater and jeans and he was still freezing, so he knew, he knew that Devyn was freezing.

"Dev," he said quietly. "What happened?" She said nothing, but her amber eyes did fall to the crumpled parchment in her hand. "Is it a letter?" he asked. She blinked once, a sign between the two that meant yes. She'd picked it up from her mother, who would in the medical field. "Can I see it?" He watched her eyes and for a long moment they remained open, then finally she blinked once. James reached across her and gently pulled the letter from her fist. When her hand started to close again, James stopped it and forced her hand to open flat. "Stop," he told her gently. "I assume that I can read this, yes?" She blinked once.

James opened the letter. There were a few spaces were her blood had bleed through, but it didn't smear any of the words. "Lumos," he muttered. The tip of his wand illuminated and he pointed it at the letter,

_Devyn,_

_As you know your father and I are getting a divorce. You are mature enough to make a decision that the court system would like to make for you. Your father disagrees, but I feel that you are of age to make this decision. I am moving in with my new fiancée in a few weeks, it's a big place, Devyn, and he's got two kids, one will be starting Hogwarts next year and the other is a fourth year, perhaps you know him, a Mr. Kevin Smith. You'll have your own room of course, I couldn't even dream of making you stay in a room with an eleven year old. While your father is staying in our old house, which isn't half as big as my new place. So I have decided to ask you to choose what parent you would like to stay with. I'll need to know by the end of the week, so that I can give the response to the attorney and then to the judge. I hope that you make the right decision._

_Marilyn_

James' hands shook. How could a parent say that to a child? How could anyone say that to a child? Devyn was only sixteen. How could she be asked to make that decision? That's her life. Her life was now in her hands. Her mother just pitted her against her father, without saying 'move in with me and my lover'. Devyn had mentioned that her father was having an affair once last year. She said that she'd seen her mother in Diagon Alley with another man, right before the start of fourth year. Her father found out that she was cheated and filed for divorce two weeks after she'd returned from her sixth year. She'd hid it from her father for almost two years. When James asked how he handled that knowledge, she'd told him that her father couldn't look at her, but he understood why she'd hidden it.

"He hasn't written me yet," she said. Her voice was hoarse from what must have been hours of not speaking.

"Your father?" he asked.

"Yes, he hasn't written me. He doesn't want me to stay with him." She reheated her tea with her wand for the umpteenth time that night. The blond picked up her mug of tea and held it in her hands, savoring the heat in the frozen night.

"Dev, I'm sure he does. He's just upset."

"Why? I was trying to protect my family!" The blond swung her hand out and her cup of tea flew from her hand and slammed against a rock, shattering into pieces. A fragment of the glass managed to slit the back of her hand and a fresh line of blood oozed from the cut. "That's all I wanted." She buried her face in her hands. "I wanted to keep my family. I did." Her voice broke and James' heart broke. "He works all the time, he always has. My mother, Merlin, can I even call her that? She's just never around, too caught up in the life of a socialite, I guess. That only leaves me. I'm always alone. That house, you've see it. It's a mansion and it's so cold without people there. It's so empty. I can hear my footsteps echoing in the every room off the house when I wear shoes. It's so big and empty." Devyn exhaled shakily. He could hear the tears in her voice, but they weren't falling from her eyes, not yet. "I can't live with her," she started again. "I don't know her. I don't know her fiancée and I don't know those children. I don't want to know those people, they aren't my family. But then if I don't, I'll be alone in the old place as usual. I'm tired of being alone and I-"

James pulled her into a tight embrace. Not wanting her to continue, he just hugged her. He'd never seen her cry. To him, she was the third bravest woman he knew, after his mother and his Aunt Hermione in that order. He'd always thought that nothing could hurt her. She'd broken her arm in Quidditch games and didn't shed a tear. She'd been called names and didn't shed a tear. He'd never seen Devyn cry and he never wanted to, unless they were tears of joy, then they were okay. But these tears; he couldn't quite figure out what these tears were. Clearly, she was sad, but she was angry as well, and she was confused.

He held her like that for a while, until she spoke. "I don't know what to do."

"You can stay with me," James suggested. "My parents love you to death. They would love to have you."

"I already over stayed my welcome this summer, I can't stay another year."

James sighed and knew that it was pointless to argue with that. "Well, then what are you thinking?"

Devyn was quiet for a moment. "I'm gonna stay with my dad. He dislikes me less."

"You should have to settle for who 'dislikes you less', Dev. There are people that love you."

"Yeah, well, I have to give her an answer, one that's her or my father; not my boyfriend's house. Sorry, James," she stated. "I could if I would, but I can't." She scoffed. "I can see the bloody letter now. 'Marilyn, I will be living with my father, because he dislikes me less. Devyn.'" The blond inhales slowly and sneezed on an exhale, and then she shivered.

James stood and pulled the blond up with him. "You're going to get the flu and die, so please come inside." He was begging her. Devyn nodded and pulled his jacket tighter around her. James draped his arm around her shoulders and ushered her into the castle. Once inside, the castle she slipped her arms in the sleeves and hugged herself. "Dev, she was wrong to ask that of you. I'm surprised that the court approved of that." Dev shrugged and pulled a piece of parchment from the pocket of his jacket and sighed.

"Miss. Miller and Mr. Potter," a voice called to them. "What are you doing?"

"Headmaster, I just found Mr. Potter out of bed, I'm giving him a detention," she replied scribbling something on the paper.

"Mr. Potter, I am very disappointed. You know better," the Headmaster chastised.

"I know, I'll do better," he replied as he took the parchment form Devyn's hand.

"Escort him to his dorm," the Headmaster said. "You look cold, Miss. Miller, are you sick?"

"No, sir, just out of breath is all. I had to chase him down here," Devyn shrugged. "Good night, Headmaster."

James and Devyn walked up the stairs and around the Headmaster. Devyn had a firm grip on her 'rule-breakers' hand until they passed the Headmaster, and then her fingers intertwined with his. James smiled and followed his Prefect up the stairs. Once they were out of the line of vision of the Headmaster, James pulled her aside and trapped her against a wall; his hands on either side of her head.

"So my detention slip," James started.

"Yeah, I had to write something," Devyn replied, her face flushed.

"I love you, and I owe you" James read. "Well, does that get me out of a detention?"

The Prefect shook her head and laughed, "No, but I do," she told him, her amber eyes meeting the floor.

"You do?"

"Love you, stupid," Devyn said as she swatted his arm.

"I just wanted to heat you say it," James said.

"I, Devyn Lynn Miller, love you, James Sirius Potter," the blond admitted in the silence of the corridor.

James leaned down and kissed her. It different from their first kiss, much different. Their first kiss was kind of messy and rushed. James' heart had been beating so loudly that he was sure she'd heard it. However, after a few months of being together, she hadn't said anything about it, so he was sure that she hadn't. However, that was the only thing that didn't change between them when they kissed. His heart always raced when her lips touched his, when she kissed his check, or when she held his hand. This kiss was slow and passionate. A kiss that was so different from the kisses they'd shared previously. James' heart was racing again. She loved him.

When he pulled away from her, he smirked at her. "So you admit that you don't hate me?"

She laughed and shook her head, "No, I still hate you. Please don't get it twisted. I still hate you."

"Well, I love you too," he told her. "If that makes it any better."

Devyn shook her head again and ducked under his arm. "Come on, before I really have to give you a detention."

James saluted his girlfriend and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p><strong>III.<strong>

The sun was out. The sun was out and the curtains were open. The sun was out and the curtains were open and it was noon. She groaned and buried her face in the pillow beneath her. She kept her amber eyes closed as she tried to go back to sleep. She groaned and rolled over on to her back, knowing that she wasn't going to get any sleep. The sun was out and it was noon. Her amber eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the white ceiling of the bedroom. The blond then rolled over and placed her feet on the soft carpet beneath her feet. She sighed and ran her fingers through her light hair, closing her eyes. With her eyes still closed, she stood, stretched, and started out of the bedroom; only to have her big toe greeted by a box.

"JAMES!" her voice called from the back of the bedroom. When she got no response, she groaned and shouted again, "JAMES!"

James stuck his head into the bedroom and smiled at her. "Well, good afternoon, little miss sunshine," He greeted.

"The box," she groaned. She bent down and rubbed her toe. She stood upright and brushed her long blond hair from her eyes. She was greeted by the large hazel eyes of her lover. "The box," she said again, pointing at it. She then turned and walked to the bathroom were she brushed her teeth. When she returned, James was still there smiling at her.

"Yes, it is a box," he responded, playfully. "Good job, love." He placed a kiss on her cheek. "Where do you want it, Dev?"

"Don't know, don't care. Just get it out of my sight," she said. James shrugged and pushed the box into the corner. "I can still see it," she sang.

"Not if you turn around," James sang back as he turned her towards the door and her eyes away from the boxes. "Out of sight out of mind?"

"James, just unpack the box," the blond sighed. She fell back on the bed and exhaled loudly.

"What, love?" he asked as he sat next her. The blond rolled over on to her stomach and buried her face in the comforter. James stroked the exposed flesh in the small of her back and smiled, "What?"

"I'm tired and our bedroom is covered in boxes," she mumbled into the sheet.

It took James a moment to decipher what his blond lover had said, and when he did he sighed. James reached over and picked his wand up off the bed side table and flicked it in the direction of the box. The brown cardboard box unfolded and opened. The contents, mostly clothes and a few pictures flew from the box and into their respective places. James did the same for the other boxes that were in the bedroom and watched as their clothes mixed. It was so odd how easily her stuff mixed with his. It wasn't strange to see her wand lying next to his on the bedside table. It wasn't odd to see her toothbrush next to his, or to see her socks in his sock drawer. The transition was easy.

"The boxes are gone," he told her once the last box had disappeared. He'd banished them to the living room, just until he could take them out of the house. "Dev," he tried again, touching the skin behind her ear, skin he'd found out was very sensitive. She squirmed and turned her amber eyes to his hazel ones. Her right eyebrow was lifted, her non-verbal question. "The boxes are gone," he repeated. A small smile played on her lips and then she buried her face in the comforter again. "What else?"

"I'm just tired," she said again.

"You slept until twelve-thirty," he said, a smile in his voice.

"And?" she asked quietly.

"Well," James started quietly. He then stood suddenly and pulled the blond with him. Devyn's balance was off and he waited until she was balanced before he pulled her out of the room. James pulled her down the corridor, while she complained about moving and the speed that they were moving. James just laughed and slowed down, so that she had one less thing to complain about.

"James, where are we going?" she whined. "Where, where, where?"

"The kitchen," he said. He reached over and covered her eyes. She squirmed in his grasp, not liking being blind. "Be still. Now, like I was saying. I made you breakfast," He told her as he uncovered her eyes. The breakfast was nothing special, just eggs, pancakes, bacon, bread, and fruit. However, the fact that James had managed to make them without setting the house on fire was amazing. He placed his chin on the top of her head and laughed. "So you like?" he asked.

Devyn laughed and nodded, "I love. Is it still hot?" she questioned. James nodded. His blond lover squirmed out of his grasp and slipped into a seat at the table. "You know you shouldn't have," Devyn started as she popped a grape into her mouth. James sat in the seat across from her and shrugged as he fiddled with the frayed edge of the table mat. Devyn crossed her arms and huffed, blowing her bed hair from her eyes. "Why did you do this?"

James' left eyebrow rose and he struggled to form a simple sentence, "I… I just – I just… - I wanted to." The boy rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her curious amber eyes.

"James," Devyn said slowly. "James, what are you planning? I know you; you lifted your left eyebrow that means that you are planning something." James said nothing he just shifted in his seat. "James…"

"Nothing, Dev," James said, slowly. She said his name again as she picked up her glass of orange juice. "Okay, so I wanna ask you something?"

"Okay, I'm listening."

"But I don't know how to say it," James said. He rubbed the back of his neck again. Devyn watched him from beneath her eyelashes as he moved about the kitchen. He started cleaning, and moving this about. "So I've know you for how long? Nine years?" he asked. He turned his eyes to her and she was holding up ten fingers. "Ten years," James laughed. "Thanks a long time. You've been my best friend for like eight years, because I really hated you until second year," Devyn scoffed and James smiled. "Sorry, but it's true. Then in third year, I kind of liked you, but you were still evil. Then I tried to be with you in fourth year…." James' voice trailed off and Devyn looked away. Neither of them had spoken of that since it had happened. "But that's the past," and it didn't seem like they were going to speak of it anytime soon. "You know," he paused. "I've loved you since fifth year." His eyes met hers again and she smiled. "I'm sure you knew everyone else did."

"James, get to the point," Devyn told him.

"Oh, yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck and walked towards her. "Here," he handed her a navy blue box and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Open it," James said as Devyn looked from him to the box. Her slender fingers grabbed the box and she flipped the lid open to reveal a silver band and on the band sat a single square cut diamond. Devyn shut the box quickly and slid it back to him, shaking her head. "You hate it. I knew it; I knew you would hate it."

"I don't. But ask the right way," Devyn said, biting her lip.

James sighed and took the box off the table and knelt down in front of the blond. "Will you, Devyn Lynn Miller, marry me?" he asked quietly, fearing rejection. Devyn smiled and brushed her bed hair from her eyes again. "Yes? No? Come on, Dev, you're killing me." James watched her for a moment and then sighed. He sat down on the tile of the kitchen floor and ran his hand over his face. "So a no?"

Devyn crossed her legs under her body, criss cross, in the chair and smiled. "James Sirius Potter, I would love to marry you."

James' eyes flicked up to met her hazel ones. They were silent for a moment. Then James smiled. He smiled and closed the box. James leapt up and yanked Devyn from her chair, in a not so gentle manner. A breathless Devyn was pulled into a bone crushing hug, at first she struggled against him trying to free herself and regain the ability to breathe. However, after a moment she gave up and allowed James to pick her up and spin her around. He laughed and she laughed; the laughed together. Then he kissed her softly. A kiss that promised her the world, a kiss that promised an evening of rumpled bed sheets, a kiss that promised her everything. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, and he pulled her body close to him.

He pulled away from her and flipped the lid of the box open and picked the ring from the box. He then held his hand out for hers. Slowly, she untangled her fingers from his hair and placed her left hand in his open palm. James gently slipped the ring on to her fourth finger and then kissed the back of her hand. "Devyn Potter," he said quietly as he pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead. "It sounds nice."

"I used to write all over my notebooks, so I already knew that," Devyn mocked. "Sounds better when you say it." James flashed her a smile and pulled her into the living room. "James, what are you.." The next thing she knew everything went black; she was pressed very hard from all directions. She couldn't breathe, there were iron bands tightening around her chest. Then her feet hit the ground. "JAMES, DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" The girl barked.

"You're in trouble, James," a deep male voice said. "It's nice to see you, Devyn."

Before the blond could even respond, she was wrapped in a hug by an older red haired woman. "Oh, Devyn, dearest, how lovely to see you." She knew this voice like she knew her own.

"Mrs. Potter," she gasped, "How are you?"

"Ginny, you are crushing her," the voice said again. It was Harry.

"Thanks, Mr. Potter," Devyn gasped as his wife released her. Devyn straightened her clothes and was soon attacked by another red haired Potter. "Lily," she gasped.

"Hey, Dev," a male voice said.

"Al," Devyn greeted. "A little help here?" she begged.

"Down, Lily," Albus called playfully to his little sister.

The girl released her friend and flopped down on the sofa near Albus. "What brings you to… NO WAY!" Lily's eyes feel on the diamond ring on Devyn's finger. Lily had always been the most observant Potter of the bunch, so it didn't surprise Devyn or James that Lily noticed the ring first. "NO WAY!" she shouted again. The glass in pictures on the mantle shook slightly when she did. Lily charged at Devyn again, but Devyn stepped behind James and used him as a shield to protect her from his younger sister.

"What?" Ginny asked as she sank down on the arm of the chair Harry was sitting in. "What?"

"Devyn and I are engaged," James announced as he held his sister at arm's length.

Ginny clasped her hands together and a smile spread across her face. "Oh, James," Ginny cooed. She stood and held her arms open for her eldest son. James reluctantly stepped from in front of his fiancée, seeing as he was still holding Lily off, and stepped into his mother's arms. James hugged his mother for a moment and then the back of his head was greeted with his mother's hand. The boy flinched away from his mother and rubbed the recently assaulted spot on his head. "Why did you tell us you were coming with news? We could have had lunch."

"Ginny, don't hurt the boy. We'll go out today," Harry announced as he stood from the chair. "Lily, let go of her, you're going to kill her."

Devyn gasped as her future sister-in-law released her. Devyn's face was as red as Ginny's hair as she gasped for air. The blond leaned on the wall and ran her left hand down her face. "Oh, look at the ring!" Lily gasped, now pulling on Devyn's hand. "It's beautiful." Devyn sighed and allowed her body to be dragged to Ginny and Harry.

"It is lovely, Devyn," Harry commented, before giving his son a look that said 'how much is this going to cost me'. James shook his head and smiled a smile that said, 'I got it covered'. "Where are we eating, Dev?"

"Huh, oh, wherever is fine," the blond replied as she stopped trying to get her hand away from Lily.

"It's your pick," Harry pushed.

"Italian," Devyn grunted as he pulled her hand from Lily's and stumbled backwards into James' chest.

"Italian it is," Harry announced. "That new place in Diagon Alley is good, Devyn."

"Like I would go anywhere else?" the blond answered. "But, I'm going to get dressed," she gestured to her sweet pants and tee shirt, "and James and I will meet you there."

Harry chuckled and nodded as he apparated out of the living room, followed by Ginny and Lily (because she was too afraid to apparate alone), then Albus. Then James and Devyn were left standing in the Potter's living room. Devyn leaned back into James and smiled. "You could have warned me," she told him as his arms snaked around her waist.

"What would be the fun in that?"

The blond rolled her eyes and spun around in his arms so that she was facing him. Her amber eyes met his hazel ones and she smiled. "Well, thanks for dragging me here to be attacked by your sister," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

He shrugged and kissed her. "You're welcome."

"Stay here," the blond said as she ran up to Lily's room and pulled out a tee shirt and jeans, a piece of the collection of clothes she kept at the Potter's. Having showered the night before, she just jumped into the outfit, brushed her hair, stole a pair of Lily's shoes, and ran back down the stairs into James' arms.

Then she was being tugged through darkness, once again unable to breathe or see. Her eyes and her chest were one fire. She was spinning and dizzy, and when her feet finally touched the ground, she gasped. "JAMES!"


End file.
